"Ha!" Mo Sigui smirked ambiguously. "A Jiu, you're really wearing your heart on your sleeve. Dare to dig your schemes any deeper?"
An Jiu glared at him silently, inwardly wondering—was it really that obvious?
"Fine, whatever. I've resigned myself to it anyway." Mo Sigui suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "How's our little Yuyu doing now?"
"She's fine," An Jiu replied after a pause.
Mo Sigui waited eagerly, but she seemed lost in thought and didn't elaborate. "Could you say a bit more? Like whether she's eating well, dressing well..."
"She eats dry rations and wears these black clothes," An Jiu said disdainfully. "You already know all this. Why waste words?"
"Ah!" Mo Sigui sighed dramatically at the sky before abruptly changing the subject. He grabbed her wrist to check her pulse.
After a moment of silence, his expression turned grave, and he took hold of her other wrist.
A while later, he asked, "Have you suffered severe injuries again recently?"
An Jiu nodded, thinking to herself that Mo Sigui really had some skills. "Once, I encountered the Liao army alone and abruptly used my mental strength. Later, I coughed up blood."
"No wonder! Otherwise, with the medicinal pills I prepared and practicing Plum Fist gradually, you should have recovered long ago." Mo Sigui pulled out another small vial from his robe. "I figured your pills must be running low. Keep taking these—two at a time—to help heal your injuries."
An Jiu uncorked the bottle and sniffed lightly, immediately detecting a faint scent of blood. "What kind of medicine is this? Why does it smell like blood?"
"I cut my finger while trimming my nails," Mo Sigui lied without batting an eye.
An Jiu knew Mo Sigui's pills were highly concentrated. The initial large pot of ingredients was reduced to these tiny things, so a little blood couldn't possibly produce such a strong scent. Moreover, this blood was clearly fresh and hadn't been boiled.
"You didn't just cut your finger—you chopped it off, didn't you?" An Jiu frowned. "Are you hiding something from me?"
Mo Sigui shook his head decisively. "You're overthinking it."
Then he swiftly changed the subject. "I noticed your mental state has improved a lot. Your madness seems to be on the verge of recovery."
But if An Jiu was determined to pursue a matter, she wouldn't be so easily brushed off.
Seeing her dark expression and unblinking stare, Mo Sigui waved his hand in exasperation. "Fine, you win! I'll tell you—this is Gu Jinghong's blood."
"Why?" An Jiu couldn't understand. When had Gu Jinghong donated blood for her? And why?
"Because... because... you're beautiful..." Mo Sigui couldn't come up with a reason either. He snapped impatiently, "You ask me, but who am I supposed to ask? Just mentioning Gu Jinghong fills me with rage! Anyway, don't stop taking the medicine—no matter what, don't give up on treatment! I can't take any more setbacks!"
Mo Sigui had gone to great lengths to leave Gu Jinghong a sliver of hope, paying no small price, yet he still died. Mo Sigui couldn't accept it.
"He gave his blood—didn't he say anything?" An Jiu pressed.
Mo Sigui was about to say no when he suddenly remembered. "Actually, he did. Did you drink and chat with him? He said this was his way of thanking you.""Ah!" Mo Sigui sighed regretfully. "I actually really enjoy listening to people's troubles."
Hearing this, An Jiu felt the medicine bottle in her hand grow uncomfortably warm. "How did Gu Jinghong... die?"
"Anyway, it wasn't from blood loss. He just couldn't see a way out." No sooner had Mo Sigui finished saying how much he liked listening to people's troubles than he immediately grew impatient. "Don't dwell on messy thoughts. It was better when you were simple-minded and single-focused! Why learn to be sentimental now?"
"You're unusually irritable today," An Jiu observed, looking into his eyes. "Did Lou Mingyue reject you again? Or did she just ignore you completely?"
"Fine." Exposed, Mo Sigui squatted down against the tent, looking defeated. "My heart has always been filled with the way of medicine, rarely thinking about marriage or children. After hearing of Ning Yu's death, I gave up on such thoughts entirely. But seeing her again this time, I thought spending this life with her wouldn't be bad. Unfortunately, she doesn't share that sentiment. I... am tired."
He had sacrificed so much time and effort following Lou Mingyue. While chasing after her, he grew anxious about wasting time. A few months might be bearable, but continuing like this would surely exhaust him completely.
"Can't pick it up, can't put it down," Mo Sigui sighed deeply.
"You each have your own paths and responsibilities. Why force yourselves together?" An Jiu couldn't understand.
Others might say it was because of feelings, but for Mo Sigui, beyond emotions, there was also a sense of responsibility. Childhood friends, he had long considered her family. Watching a loved one walk down a path of no return, unable to pull her back or even accompany her, tormented him endlessly.
"A Jiu, what should I choose?" Mo Sigui grabbed the little tiger from the ground, stroking its fur as he held it.
"I've always been alone, only responsible for myself." After saying this, An Jiu thought of Mei Yanran and Mei Jiu. "Maybe now I have people to care for. But I always follow my instincts—if something feels right, I do it."
Suddenly, Mo Sigui thought being single-minded wasn't so bad. At least there was no confusion, always knowing which direction to move forward.
Both fell silent. The surroundings grew quiet, with only the crackling of torches breaking the stillness.
Just as Mo Sigui was enjoying the peaceful night, An Jiu's killing intent abruptly surged. The two little tigers, previously enjoying their strokes, suddenly bared their teeth as if their tails had been stepped on, immediately on guard.
Following her icy gaze, he looked over but saw nothing unusual—just a patrol of soldiers passing by with torches.
Yet An Jiu remained tense. She had glimpsed a shadow flitting through the torchlight, catching a whiff of their presence. Nowadays, few could hide near An Jiu undetected—even the Madman, who had once reached the Transformation Realm, couldn't manage it. But this time, she couldn't discern the person's martial arts level, nor even accurately identify their aura!
Mo Sigui didn't ask, merely continuing to absentmindedly stroke the tiger's back.
Thinking of Chu Dingjiang, who was still recovering from his injuries, An Jiu immediately turned and headed back into the tent.
Mo Sigui followed. Though he hadn't noticed anything suspicious, he couldn't shake the inexplicable feeling of being watched, leaving him thoroughly unsettled.An Jiu saw Chu Dingjiang sitting cross-legged on the bed, safe and sound, and her anxious heart settled slightly. However, she didn't dare relax in the slightest, slowly extending her Mental strength outward. Even if this couldn't locate any hidden enemies, it would at least serve as a deterrent, making them hesitate to attack easily. (To be continued...)
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