Chapter Twenty-Four
“Why would you say such a thing, Seventh Sister?” Mei Ru Yan feigned surprise, as though hearing these accusations for the first time.
“Why?!” Mei Tingyuan stood above them, looking down with disdain as if they were mere ants. “Putting everything else aside, just the fact that you made Grandmother faint is enough for me to never let you off.”
Mei Ru Yan smiled gently. “It was indeed our fault as sisters for not preparing ourselves to endure humiliation before paying respects to Aunt Grandmother, and for speaking back to her. Had we known her health was frail, we would have swallowed our pride and apologized to that maid, even if it meant losing face for the Mei Clan, rather than causing distress to an elder.”
Her words were soft and polite, yet laced with sharp thorns. She knew one of the Clan Rules forbade private fights, so she was certain they wouldn’t dare strike her.
“What a sharp tongue.” In a flash, Mei Tingyuan appeared before Mei Ru Yan and raised her hand to deliver a slap.
Having grown up under harsh discipline, Mei Ru Yan wasn’t dazed by a mere slap. The moment Mei Tingyuan’s strike landed, she retaliated with a solid slap of her own.
Slap! Slap! Two crisp sounds rang out, leaving everyone stunned.
Mei Tingyuan had grown up under Second Madam’s protection—only she could strike others, never the other way around! Now, humiliated and furious, she seethed with rage.
An Jiu was enjoying the spectacle when, unexpectedly, Mei Jiu stepped forward to shield Mei Ru Yan.
Without thinking, An Jiu reflexively raised her arm to block Mei Tingyuan’s second, full-force slap. She then twisted her grip, nearly snapping Mei Tingyuan’s arm before remembering her current predicament. She abruptly released her and retreated two steps.
Mei Ru Yan inwardly regretted her impulsiveness. She had forgotten that the Mei children were trained in Martial Arts from a young age—even a simple slap left her face burning with pain.
“So you do know Martial Arts!” Mei Tingyuan narrowed her eyes, ready to strike again, but her arm was caught by Mei Tingjun.
“Have you forgotten the Clan Rules?!” Mei Tingjun snapped. “The end of the month will give you a fair chance to settle this. Why rush now?”
Mei Tingyuan regained her composure instantly. Shaking off his grip, she glared hatefully at Mei Jiu and Mei Ru Yan. “Just you wait!”
“A-Yuan!” Mei Tingzhu hurried after her, whispering soothingly, “Don’t be angry. Just endure it a little longer. There are only seven days left until the end of the month.”
“Aren’t you furious? Father begged Elder Zhi countless times to take you as a disciple, but he refused. Yet now he easily accepts that lowly girl!” Mei Tingyuan fumed.
An Jiu’s hearing was sharp—even though the two sisters had already walked far away, she caught every word of their conversation.
Withdrawing her focus, An Jiu realized Mei Jiu’s legs had gone weak, causing her to stumble backward. Fortunately, a girl behind her reached out and steadied her.
After this incident, two of the three girls who had arrived with Mei Ru Yan quickly excused themselves and left with Second Madam’s faction.
Unfazed, Mei Ru Yan set aside the unpleasantness for now and turned to Mei Jiu. “Sister, this is Tenth Sister, whose given name is Ruhan.”
Just from the name, it was clear she belonged to the main branch of the family.
Mei Jiu gave her a grateful smile and bowed slightly in greeting. “Greetings, Tenth Sister.”
Mei Ruhan steadied her. “No need for formalities.”
“Ah!” Mei Ruhan sighed. “Having spirit is good, but now that you’ve offended them, you’ll inevitably face a tough fight at the end of the month.”
“Do you mean the monthly test?” Mei Ru Yan asked.Mei Ruhan nodded. "Our family values martial arts over literature. The end-of-month exam includes a sparring session. Although it's supposed to be light contact, if they intend to make things difficult for you, they could easily leave you bedridden for ten days or more."
Mei Ru Yan felt a chill and asked Mei Jiu, "Sister, you just fought with Mei Qi. How was her internal energy? Can you handle it?"
"I..." How could she possibly gauge Mei Tingyuan's martial arts ability?
Mei Jiu knew that claiming ignorance of martial arts now would only make her seem more suspicious. She had no choice but to quietly ask An Jiu, "How is her martial arts?"
"Terrible." Before Mei Jiu could feel relieved, An Jiu continued, "If I still had my original body, dealing with that little girl would be no problem at all. But controlling your body to fight back is too much of a stretch! I might not be able to stop myself from killing her! So you see how frustrated I am—your physical condition is just awful, absolutely terrible!"
What kind of logic was that? When the body was strong, she could fight, but when it was weak, she could kill?
Mei Jiu knew nothing about martial arts, let alone the logic of an assassin.
When combat skills were evenly matched, killing someone required courage. But if the goal was to beat someone up, it would be a Pyrrhic victory—both sides would suffer.
For An Jiu, killing was as routine as eating. She didn't need courage—she knew the human body's weak points, how to strike lethally, and had plenty of experience. She disliked drawn-out fights. If she could kill with one strike, she wouldn't bother with a second.
Mei Jiu's body was weak and unsuitable for prolonged combat. The habitual movements from earlier made An Jiu wonder if she might kill Mei Tingyuan if she felt threatened. If that happened, it wouldn't just be a matter of making a few enemies.
To An Jiu, life was just one trouble after another. She wouldn't swallow her pride, but she knew her limits—she only provoked trouble she could handle. In the grand scheme of things, she still had to keep a low profile.
After pondering for a long time, Mei Jiu finally answered Mei Ru Yan, "Probably about the same."
"That's good." Mei Ru Yan didn't doubt Mei Jiu's martial arts ability. After all, everyone in Mei Shi practiced martial arts. Mei Jiu had been bedridden since being sold to the brothel, so it made sense she'd be weak when escaping.
Hearing this, Mei Ruhan felt reassured and led them to the dining hall.
The Mei Clan School's dining hall was an architectural marvel—built on the edge of a cliff, the structure jutted out over a sixty-zhang drop. The rock face below was as smooth as if cleaved by a sword, with a rushing river at the bottom.
There were two paths to the dining hall: a chain walkway along the cliff face and a pitch-black cave. Mei Ruhan took them through the cave. Though eerie, traveling together made it less daunting than the precarious chain path.
When they arrived, nearly all twenty-some students were already there, many casting glances their way.
The dining hall's windows faced east, with tables and chairs arranged alongside them. A turn of the head revealed the towering cliffs meeting the sky. The three found an empty table and sat down. Servants promptly poured water for them, and food was soon served.
Six dishes and a soup, all of excellent quality.
Having hiked all morning, Mei Jiu was starving. Urged on by An Jiu, she abandoned all pretense of decorum and began eating heartily.
How wonderful it was to eat in peace!An Jiu was deeply engrossed when she sensed someone approaching. She tried to control her eyes to glance over and unexpectedly succeeded!
She saw Mei Tingdong approaching with an unfamiliar young man.
"Someone's looking for trouble," An Jiu said.
Mei Jiu was exhausted, not even wanting to lift a finger, and had no will to resist, making it especially easy for An Jiu to take control of the body.
"Mei Shisi," the unfamiliar youth pushed the dishes on the table toward the window, plopped himself onto the table, and leaned in close to Mei Jiu. "Was it you who kicked Sigu into the lake?"
An Jiu lifted her eyelids slightly, revealing a handsome face with emerging sharp features. She reached out, picked up some food, and put it in her mouth before lowering her head to shovel in a big mouthful of rice.
"Mei Da!" Mei Ruhan said coldly. "Get down from there. If you have something to say, say it properly."
Mei Ru Yan had gathered a lot of miscellaneous information today. It took her a while to recall that this "Mei Da" was the eldest son of the main branch's concubine, named Mei Rujian, twenty years old, who had just gotten married last year.
Wasn't he the eldest son of the main branch? Why was he acting so aggressively, as if he were on Mei Tingyuan's side?
Mei Ru Yan thought this but still set down her chopsticks, stood up, and called out, "Eldest Brother."
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