Following Mei Ru Yan's thoughts, Mei Rujian was a concubine-born son of the main branch. Though he was an elder brother, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children still mattered. She thought that by being polite and giving him a way out, Mei Rujian wouldn’t make things difficult. Unexpectedly, Mei Rujian sneered mockingly, "Oh, here comes the well-mannered one. Should I be moved to tears of gratitude?"
"Mei Da!" Mei Ruhan's face darkened. "If you have issues, let’s settle them privately. Why must you bring it up when all our siblings are present?"
She lowered her voice threateningly, "Don’t forget, your mother still belongs to the main branch."
Mei Rujian fumed, "Is that all you’ve got?"
Mei Ruhan smiled gently, "It doesn’t matter how much we have, as long as it works."
Mei Ru Yan couldn’t help but glance at Mei Ruhan again. The Mei household held too many surprises. This seemingly fragile and meek Mei Ruhan turned out to be just as ruthless as Mei Yanran!
"Does it work?" Mei Rujian curled his lips. "Since I dared to come, I’m not afraid of your threats!"
But when he turned, he saw An Jiu eating heartily as if nothing was happening. His smile froze, and in anger, he swatted her bowl away.
The clatter drew everyone’s attention.
An Jiu bent down, picked up the broken pieces, and placed them on the table. As she set down the last piece, she suddenly grabbed Mei Rujian’s belt and shoved most of his body out the window.
Everyone’s eyes widened—not just at An Jiu’s ferocity, but also at how a fairly sturdy young man was pinned down so effortlessly, barely able to struggle.
"Let me tell you now, I was the one who threw Mo Sigui into the lake," An Jiu yanked his hair, forcing him to look up. "See the river below? A bath from here would be much more refreshing."
"You wouldn’t dare!" Mei Rujian roared.
An Jiu pushed him further, leaving only his calves inside the room.
Mei Rujian hung face-down, most of his body dangling with only his calves supporting him. Though he used his Inner Force to steady himself, those nearby could still hear the cracking of his shinbones.
"Push me down, and you won’t live either!" Mei Rujian was drenched in sweat from the pain.
An Jiu grinned. "No need to worry about that. How about I jump with you? Sounds fun."
Everyone stared at her as if she were a madwoman.
Mei Ruhan was stunned. Facing An Jiu directly, she could see the gleam in her eyes—An Jiu genuinely seemed to find this amusing, not just bluffing.
"Sister, pull him up quickly! Big Brother was just joking," Mei Ru Yan urged anxiously.
At first, everyone had been happy to watch the drama, but now that things had escalated, they realized An Jiu might be serious. Someone quietly approached from behind, intending to knock her out and save Mei Rujian.
Without turning, An Jiu grabbed a plate from the table and hurled it backward. At the same time, she noticed someone fleeing through the front door.
"Just joking," An Jiu chuckled. "I’m joking too. Little Sister, come help me pull him up. I don’t trust anyone else."
Mei Ru Yan eyed her warily, trying to discern if she meant it.
"My arm’s tired," An Jiu said, releasing one hand.
"Save me, Fifteenth Sister, save me!" Mei Rujian’s voice cracked with desperation.Mei Ru Yan didn't dare to think further and quickly stepped forward to grab Mei Rujian, using all her strength to pull him back. As the only person here without martial arts skills, she couldn't possibly drag him up easily, and the process inevitably caused him considerable suffering.
An Jiu leaned against the window, making sarcastic remarks, "A bootlicker of the second branch, born with a spineless body yet still dreaming of standing tall."
Only after Mei Ru Yan finally managed to pull him back did An Jiu poke him with chopsticks, earnestly advising, "My martial arts aren't great. If the elders come, I'll only be punished. But there's one thing—I don't value my life. Anyone who isn't afraid of death can test whether I'm telling the truth."
Mei Jiu's soul was completely suppressed, unable to move at all. In her anxiety, she somehow still managed to influence the body—tears unknowingly spilled from her eyes.
The mountain breeze blew in, and An Jiu felt a coolness on her face. She paused slightly and wiped it with her hand.
Everyone in the room saw the madwoman cry after nearly killing someone, leaving them all bewildered in the wind.
This time, An Jiu didn't relinquish control of Mei Jiu's body but kept her firmly suppressed.
Everything in the Clan School made An Jiu uneasy. An idea surfaced in her mind, compelling her to risk being seen as a madwoman to verify it.
Why did Mei Shi want to silence Mei Yanran and her daughter? If there was a reason they had to die, why did they suddenly change their minds? Why did Mei Shi's descendants die young? Why were there so many bizarre rules?
All the information An Jiu had gleaned from Mei Jiu's memories about this world was completely different from this family, making Mei Shi an anomaly in the Great Song Dynasty.
She believed Mei Shi had too many secrets that couldn't be leaked. Mei Yanran taking Mei Jiu to escape would undoubtedly pose a risk of exposure. To deter others, deserters had to be severely punished—hence their planned execution. The change of heart likely stemmed from her sudden appearance and killing of two martial arts masters. She guessed this because the incident had been mentioned repeatedly, and today, Mei Tingyuan's tone clearly implied it was a display of capability!
This family...
Did they make a living by killing?
Perhaps these children didn't know their future fate, but the principles instilled in them from childhood destined them to be different from other kids!
An Jiu could have chosen to investigate slowly, but she suddenly couldn't control her anger. She urgently needed to prove this was a chance to choose anew, not a cruel twist of fate!
A desperate ghost living in darkness suddenly saw the blue sky and white clouds through a window. She thought she could approach the light, that all lost sensations were slowly returning, planting a flower of hope in her heart—only to be strangled in an instant.
What a hateful trick!
Since becoming a sniper, this was the first time she'd lost control.
"What's all the commotion?" A plain-robed youth stood at the door at some point, his ink-black hair cascading like a waterfall, his jade-like face wearing a serene smile.
Chairs scraped as everyone in the room stood up one after another:
"Uncle."
Mei Zhengjing strolled in gracefully yet swiftly.
He leaned in to examine Mei Rujian's pale face and clicked his tongue. "Oho, quite a serious injury. Take him down for treatment quickly."After speaking, he turned his bright eyes to An Jiu and asked with concern, "Are you full now?"
"Aunt!" Mei Tingyuan interjected, "She violated the Clan Rules!"
"Which one?" Mei Zhengjing turned back, looking at her with a stern expression. "Tell me, and if it's true, I will punish her severely!"
"The Clan Rules forbid private fights!" Mei Tingyuan said.
"Oh." Mei Zhengjing's face shifted to one of indifference. "They forbid private fights, but they don't say anything about killing. I already know the whole story—what she did was attempted murder."
Mei Tingyuan was furious. "What story! You can't twist the truth like this!"
"Did Ru Jian fight back? Did they engage in mutual combat? Did Shi Si attack him?" Mei Zhengjing fired off a series of questions, then concluded without waiting for her answer, "So this doesn't count as a private fight."
Mei Tingyuan wanted to argue further, but Mei Zhengjing cut her off. "Take it up with your father if you have anything to say. If you keep talking back to me, I'll charge you with disrespecting your elders!"
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