Mei Zhengjing was the only remaining male of the "Zheng" generation in the second branch apart from the family head. At twenty-three years old, he was the most likely candidate to become the next family head. If the current head didn't die young, he would eventually succeed Elder Zhi. So no matter how unprincipled he might be, his words carried significant weight.
"All of you who've eaten enough, scram! Go find your mothers. Don't just stand around here being an eyesore." Mei Zhengjing disliked being gawked at. He paused, then remembered something else, "Tingjun, go tell that old bastard I'm taking Shi Si to the ancestral hall for punishment."
Mei Tingjun stopped in his tracks and replied respectfully, "Yes."
"Sister—" Mei Ru Yan started to speak but swallowed her words when she saw Mei Zhengjing glare at her.
Mei Ruhan quickly pulled her away.
In the blink of an eye, the lively dining hall was empty except for Mei Zhengjing and An Jiu.
Mei Zhengjing strode out, with An Jiu following close behind.
Exiting the dining hall and crossing a courtyard lush with flowers and trees brought them to a cave entrance.
The winding paths inside the cave were unlit. At first, the faint light from outside allowed some visibility, but after advancing several dozen feet, it became pitch black.
The dripping water echoed loudly in the cavern. Mei Zhengjing's footsteps were nearly silent—though there were two people walking, only one set of footsteps could be heard, creating an eerie atmosphere.
After a while, Mei Zhengjing suddenly stopped, surprised to find An Jiu halting immediately as well.
"Why are you following me?" Mei Zhengjing asked.
An Jiu's exceptional vision allowed her to barely make out his smiling face in the darkness. "Aren't you taking me to the ancestral hall for punishment?"
"Haha." Mei Zhengjing patted her head. "Just joking, don't take it seriously. Next time you actually kill someone, I'll take you then."
"Why help me?" An Jiu asked.
Mei Zhengjing's smile vanished as he said displeasedly, "I'm a man of absolute integrity—what favoritism are you implying? Don't talk nonsense."
"Sorry." An Jiu wasn't in the mood for games. "The Mei family is an assassin organization, isn't it?"
Mei Zhengjing didn't understand the word "organization," but he recognized "assassin" and grasped her meaning. He studied the young girl before him carefully before remarking, "You don't seem your age."
An Jiu burned with curiosity but restrained herself from pressing further.
"Assassins..." Mei Zhengjing clicked his tongue. "Not exactly, but close enough."
An Jiu hadn't expected an answer, let alone such a straightforward one. Yet the reply was brutally honest.
Even with prior suspicions, the confirmation was hard to accept.
"Heh." Mei Zhengjing's bitter chuckle carried complex emotions—An Jiu couldn't decipher them all, but the mockery was unmistakable.
He murmured, "I truly don't know what they're after."
Mei Zhengjing left silently. After he'd gone some distance, his voice echoed through the cavern: "You belong to Mei Manor. In this world, aside from royalty, the Mei family can cover for you if you kill anyone. Just remember—never harm your own kin. Otherwise, no place under heaven will shelter you."
The sound of cracking knuckles echoed in the cave as An Jiu's neatly trimmed nails dug deep into her palms."It hurts," Mei Jiu said angrily. "Haven't you caused enough trouble?"
An Jiu remained silent.
Thinking she had finally reined in her behavior, Mei Jiu continued, "After this commotion, how am I supposed to get along with the clan's brothers and sisters? What about Mother and Ru Yan?"
"You don't realize," An Jiu said coldly, "not everyone is as burdensome as you, always thinking of clinging to something to survive. Mei Yanran and Mei Ru Yan can survive anywhere, but you'd be dead without them! Since you're utterly useless, don't put on this protector's act—it's disgusting!"
For the first time, Mei Jiu felt words could kill as surely as any weapon. These phrases were like a hand tightening around her throat, suffocating her, leaving her unable to breathe or make a sound.
An Jiu wasn't done. She continued mockingly, "This family survives by killing. You don't need to get along with brothers and sisters because those with blood on their hands don't deserve to have family!"
Sensing Mei Jiu's despondency, An Jiu curled her lips and headed leisurely toward Mr. Qingming's residence. She wouldn't pass up any opportunity to strengthen herself. Only by mastering the skills to survive in this world could she carve her own path.
When she returned to Qingming Residence, Lu Qingming was lecturing on Zen. The courtyard was arranged with meditation cushions, and everyone sat cross-legged.
Lu Qingming had changed into monastic robes, sitting refreshed on a large rock by the pond. His hair and beard were frost-white, his eyes clear and empty—a stark contrast to his disheveled appearance that morning.
His gaze lingered on An Jiu beneath the orange tree, as if seeing her yet not. "Tranquility arises from within; do not seek it externally. Release past troubles, do not fret over the future, and do not cling to the present—then your mind will be at peace. Without envy or greed, free from selfish desires, your heart will remain serene always. Do not overestimate your gains, nor envy others. If you covet what others have, you will never realize your own heart is Buddha, and peace will elude you. When you learn to appreciate the quietude of solitude, you will no longer be alone."
When you learn to appreciate the quietude of solitude, you will no longer be alone...
An Jiu repeated the phrase silently.
Lu Qingming asked, "You seem pensive. Have you gained any insight?"
The others turned to look at the frail yet striking girl standing beneath the orange tree. Amidst the heavy golden fruit, her beauty was vivid yet restrained, though her faint smile carried an inexplicable cold allure.
She replied, "Master is teaching self-amusement, but loneliness is loneliness. No amount of quiet makes it otherwise."
"Quite the stubborn stone," Lu Qingming chuckled. "Though I wonder if beneath lies jade or more rock. Go tend the sheep first."
An Jiu acknowledged and left the courtyard.
"Uncle still hasn't taken her to the ancestral hall for punishment!" Mei Tingyuan muttered resentfully.
"Mei Seven, pick ten baskets of oranges for the elders," Lu Qingming instructed.
Recognizing this as chastisement for her unsettled mind, Mei Tingyuan didn't argue and went to gather the fruit.
An Jiu followed the scent to the back, releasing all the sheep from their pen and herding the lead goats toward the southern slope.
Watching from an orange tree, Mei Tingyuan couldn't help but remark, "She really does know how to herd sheep."An Jiu's grandmother had a farm, and she would occasionally go there to play as a child, helping to herd the sheep. After her grandmother passed away, the farm was sold, and she had been living in the city ever since. It wasn't until she took up killing as a profession that she often revisited her childhood memories in her spare time, though that carefree joy could never be recaptured.
She had two most outstanding skills in her lifetime—killing and herding sheep.
OpenNovel