An Jiu paid no further attention to whether the Song army advanced or retreated, swiftly making her way back to Hejian Prefecture to reunite with Gao Dazhuang and the others.
At this moment, the city walls of Hejian Prefecture were brightly lit, clearly preparing for battle.
An Jiu infiltrated the city and, before even reaching the overseer's residence, sensed the presence of Gao Dazhuang and the others! She was startled—previously, she could only distinguish individual auras from a distance, like Chu Dingjiang's, but never like this! It was as if her mental strength had become exceptionally sharp. Despite her severe injuries, her Spiritual Apertures were clearer than ever.
There was no time to dwell on it now. An Jiu hurried straight to where the others were.
Gao Dazhuang noticed An Jiu's arrival and immediately caught the heavy scent of blood and lingering killing intent. "Who did you fight?"
"Liao troops," An Jiu replied, swallowing the blood rising in her throat.
Acting without orders was a taboo in the Crane Control Army.
Just as Sui Yunzhu was about to plead for her, Gao Dazhuang asked, "Did you win or lose?"
"I killed a few Liao martial arts masters. From my perspective, I won," An Jiu said.
Gao Dazhuang chuckled twice in satisfaction. "Well done."
An Jiu continued, "But before I could exchange five moves with one of their martial arts masters, the Song army was already defeated and retreated."
Gao Dazhuang snorted. "As expected, a handful of passionate warriors can't save a whole bunch of cowards!"
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Three coughs came from the overseer's residence.
Gao Dazhuang rolled his eyes, tapped his toes, and leaped into the courtyard.
Zhao Ling asked with a grim expression, "Are the Liao troops attacking the city?"
Gao Dazhuang couldn't be bothered to elaborate and replied succinctly, "No."
Zhao Ling visibly relaxed. "Then why did the defending general report that Liao troops had crossed the border?"
"Don't know," Gao Dazhuang said.
Zhao Ling's face darkened further. "Investigate! Surely you won't refuse even this order!"
"Yes!" Gao Dazhuang answered but didn't move.
Zhao Ling waved impatiently. "That's all. Dismissed."
Initially, he had thought the court sending a few Crane Control Army Shadow Guards was a tremendous boon—whether it helped the war effort or not, at least his own safety was more secure. But now it seemed far from the case! These shadow unit members acted as if they were above everyone else, completely disregarding him, and there was little he could do about it. After all, the Emperor hadn't granted him direct authority to command them. On the surface, they were supposed to assist him, but in reality, it was more of a partnership...
Gao Dazhuang returned. "Find a place to sleep."
"Not telling him?" Sui Yunzhu asked.
They had uncovered a lot of information over the past few days, enough to deduce the Liao army's intentions in this sudden attack. Yet Gao Dazhuang seemed unwilling to share any of it with Zhao Ling.
"What does he need to know?" Gao Dazhuang said indifferently. "If he were stationed at the main camp, he'd already know the situation. Why should we tell him?"
"Sir, aren't you being a bit too extreme?" Sun Dixian worried.
After all, the overseer held considerable authority. If Zhao Ling were truly pushed to the brink, they might face repercussions. Sun Dixian generally avoided offending others, especially superiors."Useless trash, I'm in no mood to cater to you." Gao Dazhuang's flattery depended entirely on his mood. From the beginning, he knew Zhao Ling's background and status, but initially didn't feel too opposed. After all, this was the Song Dynasty's usual practice. But for Zhao Ling to throw his official weight around like this was simply unacceptable!
Gao Dazhuang had dealt with many civil officials before and understood their nature thoroughly. If one obeyed their every command from the start, they would take it for granted and have the shadow unit handle even the most trivial matters. Therefore, it was necessary to warn them in advance—the Crane Control Army's shadow unit wasn't at anyone's beck and call!
No one spoke further, each lost in their own thoughts as they found suitable places to rest.
An Jiu curled up on a beam in the corridor, closing her eyes to regulate her breathing.
After taking the medicinal pill specially prepared by Mo Sigui, the damage caused by the mental strength surge in her body quickly healed. In about two hours, the pain had subsided significantly, and she could clearly feel her senses becoming sharper.
An Jiu took out the small bottle containing the pills, opened it, and sniffed. The first thing she noticed was a strong medicinal odor. Just as she was about to reseal it, she suddenly detected a faint trace of blood.
The scent was extremely subtle, but An Jiu had always been highly sensitive to the smell of blood.
She sniffed carefully, and the bloody scent grew clearer.
Recalling it now, after her body was reforged, Mo Sigui had given her similar pills—much larger than the ones in this bottle. At the time, she had just emerged from the medicinal bath, and her senses hadn't fully recovered, so she hadn't noticed the bloody scent.
Now... she was certain that the rapid healing of her wounds and the changes in her mental strength were closely related to these pills.
Thinking of the changes in her senses, An Jiu's heart skipped a beat, as if she had grasped something—but the feeling vanished as quickly as it came, leaving no clearer understanding.
An Jiu tucked the medicine bottle away and quietly pondered the Plum Fist.
The eastern sky paled with dawn.
In the distance, the faint rumble of war drums echoed.
Those hiding in the corners were startled awake.
Zhao Ling also woke from his slumber. The lamps in the room were lit as he hurriedly dressed and rushed to the main hall. "Someone!"
A guard entered upon command. "My lord!"
"What's happening?" Zhao Ling demanded.
The guard replied, "This subordinate doesn't know, but judging from the direction, it's likely the Liao army is launching a surprise attack on our camp."
"What?" Zhao Ling was shocked. Though years in officialdom hadn't perfected his ability to conceal emotions, he at least didn't easily lose composure. "The Liao army dares to attack our camp?"
The guard glanced up slightly, not daring to respond, thinking this was entirely expected. The Liao's wolfish ambitions had led to years of border raids—a full-scale invasion was inevitable.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ling thought: Isn't Ling Ziyue hailed as the Song Dynasty's divine general? He's guarded the border for years, keeping the Liao army in check—wasn't he supposed to be formidable?
"Dismissed." Zhao Ling slowly calmed himself.
"Yes!" The guard bowed and withdrew.
An Jiu, perched in the corridor, heard every word of the exchange.
Zhao Ling coughed three times.
A small stone struck a pillar near An Jiu with a sharp tap .
She knew Gao Dazhuang was signaling her to enter, so she leaped down lightly and slipped inside.
An Jiu's murderous aura hadn't fully dissipated. Her clothes were torn in several places, and though the bloodstains weren't visible against her black attire, a faint metallic scent lingered.
Zhao Ling studied her for a moment. "What's happening?""We encountered Martial arts masters from the Liao army," An Jiu answered truthfully.
Zhao Ling was taken aback. "Where did you run into them?"
Huh? Did I say too much?
An Jiu frowned, trying to think of a way to cover her slip. She couldn’t very well tell Zhao Ling the truth—that they were secretly working for Ling Ziyue…
Seeing her hesitate, Zhao Ling pressed further, "They weren’t sent to assassinate me, were they?"
Perfect! He had handed her the perfect excuse. An Jiu’s brow smoothed as she nodded solemnly. (To be continued...)
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