Three days later...
An Jiu tucked the jade pendant back into her clothes, inquired about the location of the horse market, bought a horse, and galloped straight toward Plum Blossom Village.
Two people had been following her the entire way. Recognizing them as two of the men from earlier—likely assigned as guards—she made no effort to shake them off.
Before the Mei family patriarch died, he had given her this jade pendant and mentioned the "Loyalty and Righteousness Tower," as if some secret hidden within the tower was connected to it. Yet An Jiu had no idea where the Mei family’s Loyalty and Righteousness Tower was located. This trip wasn’t made with the confidence of uncovering any secrets—she simply wanted to see the place.
Plum Blossom Village wasn’t far from the capital’s outskirts. At this time, the red plum blossoms blazed like flames, as if nourished by blood, their vivid crimson stark against the pure white snow.
In previous years, this season would have drawn many visitors from the capital to admire the blossoms. But after the massacre of the Mei family, the place had lost its former liveliness. Still, there were always a few fearless souls in the world.
From a distance, An Jiu spotted several figures among the trees, all dressed in scholars’ attire.
The rhythmic clatter of hooves grew louder. The group noticed An Jiu and curiously stepped out from the plum grove, as if wondering who else would dare to come here besides themselves.
For some reason, An Jiu suddenly recalled the many people of the Mei family—Mr. Qingming, who herded sheep; Zhao Shanchang, the fox-eyed man who could never see clearly; and the Mei family patriarch, lying in a pool of blood...
"Little brother, here to admire the blossoms?" one of the scholars called out from afar.
An Jiu acted as if she hadn’t heard, urging her horse forward like a gust of wind, kicking up snow as she galloped past them.
Plum Blossom Village lay buried under pristine snow, but the houses were ruined and collapsed, scorch marks everywhere. Yet the original layout remained intact.
An Jiu dismounted and wandered through the ruins. Aside from the destroyed buildings, the rest still bore plaques—none of which bore the words "Loyalty and Righteousness."
Could it be on the island where the two Old Madams lived?
An Jiu stood by the lake, holding her horse’s reins, gazing at the mist-covered water. Memories of her visit to the two Old Madams surfaced—what had seemed tedious and long-winded at the time now felt strangely nostalgic.
Back then, she and Mei Jiu had shared one body. Two tigers could not share one mountain, and An Jiu had harbored thoughts of erasing Mei Jiu. But in the end, perhaps she had lacked the will or motivation to live... Otherwise, she wouldn’t have so easily destroyed her own meridians. If they had remained intact, she might have stood a better chance against the Madman...
That girl might have been foolish and oblivious, but she had clung stubbornly to life, like a fragile blade of grass clinging to the edge of a cliff.
Looking back, An Jiu felt she owed Mei Jiu a great deal.
"Mei Jiu," she murmured, snapping back to reality. She was startled to find her face wet. Raising a hand, she wiped it roughly, staring in disbelief at the moisture on her fingers.
After a stunned pause, she cautiously brought her fingers to her lips and licked them.
Salty. It was really tears.
An Jiu wasn’t using her mental strength now, too absorbed in her astonishment. By the time she sensed someone approaching, the group was already within twenty zhang of her.
When they were about seven or eight zhang away, one of them spoke up. "Little brother, you’re truly bold! We’ve heard of the Mei estate’s exquisite architecture and the family’s mysterious reputation. We’ve long wanted to explore but hesitated outside. Never thought—"
His words choked off as An Jiu turned around. Through the mist, her eyes were slightly red, her face streaked with tears.The group immediately guessed she was a survivor of the Mei Clan and hurriedly bowed in apology, "Our deepest apologies for the offense. Please forgive us."
After a pause, one of them added, "The departed are gone. Young brother, please accept our condolences."
"This is no place for you," An Jiu said coldly.
She hadn’t even used her Mental Strength yet—just the aura of prolonged slaughter emanating from her was enough to make their hearts tremble. They hastily apologized and left.
The two men assigned to protect An Jiu, hidden in the shadows, also felt this murderous aura and stiffened, their impression of her shifting considerably.
Having effortlessly driven away the intruders, An Jiu tied her horse to a willow by the riverbank and walked along the lake.
The Tower of Loyalty and Righteousness… where exactly was it?
An Jiu recalled that the Lou Clan’s Tower of Loyalty and Righteousness was built in the most prominent spot of the entire estate, overlooking everything from a commanding height, with no other distinguishing features. Could the Mei Clan’s tower be the same?
She scanned her surroundings, her gaze finally settling on the cliff ahead.
That was the location of the Clan School’s dining hall, also the first place in the estate to greet the morning sun.
With no hurry, An Jiu climbed the hill at a leisurely pace, found a torch in the Clan School, lit it, and entered the cave leading to the dining hall.
Walking alone through the pitch-black cave, every tiny sound was amplified. The biting wind whistled sharply at times, making the torchlight flicker eerily, casting an ominous atmosphere.
An Jiu observed her surroundings carefully. Though the paths were complex, most showed no signs of human passage.
Upon reaching the spacious dining hall, she was met with blindingly bright midday sunlight.
An Jiu sat by the cliffside window, looking down from above.
From this vantage point, she noticed something unusual—the cliff face wasn’t smooth. Many protruding boulders bore stone tablets, difficult to see from below. She examined the nearest one closely. It was densely inscribed with epitaphs, the characters hard to decipher, but the first character, "Loyal," stood out clearly. The other tablets began with "Upright," "Steadfast," and "Righteous."
An Jiu pondered. Could this be the Tower of Loyalty and Righteousness?
After a while, she wandered around the hall. Its simple structure revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
She speculated there must be a path leading to those tablets, likely among the many branching tunnels in the cave.
At the time, the Mei Clan had suspected a traitor in their midst. If the Tower truly held the clan’s lifeblood, why would the Mei patriarch so easily entrust the jade pendant to her, a newcomer? Unless he was certain that even if she found the tower’s location, she couldn’t reach it.
So An Jiu set aside her search for now, quietly sitting in the dining hall, watching the sunrise and sunset, nibbling on the dry rations she carried when hungry.
She could stay like this for a month or two while stalking a target—a mere day or two was nothing. Even the seasoned assassins shadowing her were astonished; they’d never seen someone sit in one spot for two days without even visiting the latrine!
She returned to the city on the morning of the third day.
The city was already bustling. Red silk ribbons adorned the trees along the imperial road, the entire street decked in festive splendor.
An Jiu found a spot with a good vantage point and waited for the Hua Clan’s wedding procession.The shadows of the sun shifted lightly, and the streets grew increasingly crowded.
An Jiu faintly heard the sound of music and drums, as the people around her craned their necks to look.
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