"An Jiu." In the warm orange glow, Mei Jiu smiled like a flower, her bright eyes as gentle and clear as ever, transparent to the depths.
Yet, An Jiu knew she was no longer the little white rabbit she once was. "It's been a while. You've changed beyond recognition."
Her words held neither praise nor blame, merely a quiet observation.
Mei Jiu's smile remained serene. "And I'm not the only one, am I? An Jiu, seeing you as you are now makes me truly happy for you."
An Jiu was momentarily taken aback.
Though they had once shared the same body, Mei Jiu had never been able to sense her emotions. Now, An Jiu was becoming more and more like a "person."
"I heard you received the order to assassinate Hua Rongtian." That was why An Jiu had rushed here overnight.
Mei Jiu's expression darkened. "Such is fate, I suppose."
"So you plan to just wait for death?" An Jiu frowned, staring intently at her. Part of her wanted Mei Jiu to act against Hua Rongtian, and part of her didn't. The old Mei Jiu would never have harmed him, but now, An Jiu wasn’t so sure.
"How could I?" Mei Jiu suddenly laughed, meeting her gaze with a dazzling composure and resolve. "Even ants cling to life. How could I dare throw away the gift of heaven?"
An Jiu felt a pang of self-reproach. Mei Jiu had adapted so quickly, while she herself still wandered in uncertainty, following in others' footsteps.
"I will never kill my husband." Though Mei Jiu's expression was calm, her tightly clenched fingers around the scroll betrayed her emotions. "The path ahead may be dark now, but I believe if I keep walking, light will eventually break through."
An Jiu's tension eased. Mei Jiu was still fundamentally kind-hearted. "So you’ve taken a liking to Hua Rongtian? Slept with him?"
Mei Jiu flushed crimson. "Must you always be so crude?"
"Don’t try to change the subject," An Jiu said seriously.
Mei Jiu sighed helplessly, cheeks still pink, eyes shimmering. "We... we haven’t... consummated the marriage yet."
"Eh? Is Hua Rongtian defective or something?" An Jiu mused. "A girl like you would easily stir a man’s desire to... well, ravish."
Mei Jiu’s face turned purple with embarrassment, wishing she could vanish into the ground.
An Jiu, oblivious to how strange her words were, added upon seeing Mei Jiu’s reaction, "See, this look on you right now is especially—"
"Stop!" Mei Jiu cut her off hastily. "Aren’t you here to help me?"
An Jiu shook her head, stating plainly, "You’re overthinking it. I’m just here to look."
"..." Mei Jiu, who had just managed to calm down, was rendered speechless again.
For a long moment, An Jiu said nothing, simply watching her as if she truly had come just to "look."
Under her unabashed gaze, Mei Jiu grew increasingly flustered. "Is my mother doing well?"
"Without you weighing her down, she’s doing great," An Jiu replied.
Mei Jiu swallowed the many questions on her tongue and murmured, "That’s good."
"You’ve misunderstood. First, Mei Yanran is now my mother. Though we don’t get along and she ignores me, that’s an unchangeable fact. Second, my own existence has proven something very important to me."
An Jiu’s sudden dive into philosophical reflection intrigued Mei Jiu. "What is it?"
"A pig is still a pig, even if it gets a little smarter. It’s just a slightly smarter pig," An Jiu concluded."You didn't come to offer timely help—you're just here to add insult to injury!" Though Mei Jiu said this, she couldn't shake the feeling that An Jiu wouldn't truly stand by and do nothing.
An Jiu had always been this way with Mei Jiu. If Mei Jiu were poisoned and on the verge of death, she would likely say things like, "Your face is green right now—really ugly," or "Got any last words?" But despite her words, she would still do everything in her power to save her.
Some people just can’t help being annoying even when they’re helping others.
"Actually, before coming here, I went back to Plum Blossom Village. Sheng Changying has a way to contact Mo Sigui. He’s in Daming Prefecture, not far from here. At his speed, he’ll be back in ten days at the latest." An Jiu leaned lazily against the armrest, propping her chin on her hand. "On top of that, curing a Gu is complicated. I wonder if you’ll even last that long."
Thankfully, Mei Jiu was patient. If it had been Hua Rongjian, he would’ve started a fight with her.
"I’m leaving." An Jiu stood up. "Next time you get the antidote, try to save a little so Mo Sigui can analyze the Gu poison."
"Alright." Mei Jiu rose as well, about to ask her to stay, when she suddenly heard footsteps outside. Her heart tightened, and she turned to look.
Lanterns lit the courtyard, casting a faint shadow against the door.
The figure paused at the threshold, and Mei Jiu recognized it as Hua Rongtian. She quickly turned to urge An Jiu to escape through the back window—only to find the room already empty.
The door creaked open.
Hua Rongtian saw Mei Jiu staring blankly at the center of the room. His gaze swept swiftly around but found nothing amiss.
Mei Jiu forced herself to steady her emotions before turning to him. "Husband, what brings you here?"
Hua Rongtian had never visited her quarters after nightfall before. His sudden appearance tonight made her uneasy.
"Has the person left?" Hua Rongtian asked coolly.
Members of the Crane Control Army often came and went, and Hua Rongtian had always known, so Mei Jiu didn’t hide it. "Yes."
He didn’t press further.
Silence settled between them.
Mei Jiu spoke first. "They want me to assassinate you."
Hua Rongtian’s gaze darkened. "Why tell me?"
"Because you’re my husband." Mei Jiu slowly sat on the edge of the bed. She had always felt guilty facing him before, but now that she’d spoken the truth, she suddenly felt at peace. A faint smile touched her lips. "Back in Plum Blossom Village, I’d heard of you. When you came to propose marriage… I never imagined I’d actually end up marrying you. It was fate’s gift. A shame, then, that we were fated to meet but not to stay together."
Her clear eyes gradually misted over, tears gathering before slipping down her cheeks to the slight curve of her lips, staining that faint smile with sorrow and resolve.
Hua Rongtian felt a dull ache in his chest, an unspoken weight of grief and anger tightening his entire body. He had tasted this bitterness once before—when he hadn’t known his wife was an assassin. Back then, he had poured his entire heart into loving her. This time, he thought he had guarded himself carefully, untouched by emotion. Yet somehow, this woman had still found her way into his heart, occupying a space that startled him.
Only now did he realize the truth: all the excuses he had made to come here tonight were just that—excuses. In truth, he had simply wanted to see her. To see her shy smile when she lowered her gaze, to see her barely contained excitement when she was happy, like a little rabbit. To see her eyes shine when discussing poetry and books, to watch her frown in thought over a game of chess…It turned out he had missed her so much.
"Shi Niang..." Hua Rongtian's voice was low and hoarse.
She wanted to tell him that she wasn't Mei Ruhan. Nor was she the assassin from the Crane Control Army who had impersonated Mei Ru Yan to marry into the family—she was Mei Jiu. But after a moment of silence, she responded, "Husband."
Mei Jiu hadn't forgotten that aside from being her husband, Hua Rongtian was also an outstanding politician.
Hua Rongtian froze for a moment before regaining his usual calm and sharpness. Recalling what Mei Jiu had just said, a vague thought flashed through his mind.
"Mei Shisi..." Hua Rongtian suddenly remembered the year he had gone to Plum Blossom Village to propose marriage.
Mei Jiu's expression shifted slightly. Though her earlier words had almost revealed her identity, how many people in this world would think of possession? Had she underestimated Hua Rongtian after all...
Hua Rongtian had only been testing the waters casually, but seeing her reaction, he couldn't help but be astonished. "You're actually Mei Shisi?"
Back then, there had been many reasons for seeking Mei Shisi's hand in marriage, but the two most important were: the Mei Clan desperately needed her mother, and she had grown up outside the family, so she wouldn't have a strong sense of belonging to the Mei Clan.
Of course, these were just afterthoughts. Their main goal had been to test whether this Mei Clan was the same one from the Crane Control Army and to gauge the Emperor's stance.
The current open confrontation between the Emperor and the Hua Clan was deeply connected to this matter.
There were many things Hua Rongtian couldn't make sense of. Mei Shisi should only be seventeen or eighteen this year, yet the woman before him appeared to be in her twenties at first glance. However, her every move didn't resemble that of a seasoned assassin from the Crane Control Army. Moreover, why would the Emperor think of using Mei Shisi as a replacement?
Seeing Hua Rongtian lost in thought, Mei Jiu realized he hadn't considered possession. His bold guess was simply because he had never seen the female assassins by the Emperor's side—nor had he seen her before.
Their eyes met, and Mei Jiu turned her head away.
A cold wind carrying snowflakes swept in from the door, rustling the book on the bed.
Not long after An Jiu left the city, she spotted a tall, dark figure standing out starkly against the snowy night.
"Chu Dingjiang." An Jiu ran toward him.
Her speed was like the wind, and Chu Dingjiang half-expected her to crash into him—what a pity...
"Try not to stop abruptly when running at high speed," Chu Dingjiang offered a seemingly reasonable excuse. "It can injure your internal organs."
An Jiu found this logical and agreed straightforwardly, "Alright."
"In situations like today, you can just crash into me. I won't break," Chu Dingjiang said.
An Jiu shot him a sidelong glance. Seeing his solemn and earnest expression, she nodded before asking, "Did you wait here for me for a reason?"
"I figured you'd go looking for Hua Furen and was worried about you going alone," Chu Dingjiang provided another irrefutable reason. "The Liao Kingdom will never give up on the heart blood of a Medicine man."
"Mm." An Jiu found this quite plausible. If Wei Yuzhi came after her again, she might not be as lucky as last time.
"You should focus on training harder and stop running around. If anything comes up, just let me know. Instead of wasting time releasing lanterns with others, you'd be better off practicing a few more sets of punches," Chu Dingjiang lectured with the earnest face of a kindly elder.
After a long moment of contemplation, An Jiu said, "After careful analysis and rigorous reasoning, I've concluded—you're jealous, aren't you?""Ha ha ha!" Chu Dingjiang ruffled her hair. "You don't understand a man's broad-mindedness. Such trivial matters wouldn't weigh on me."
"Really?" An Jiu was skeptical, but recalling his usual magnanimity, she thought she might be overanalyzing.
Previously, Chu Dingjiang had adopted a laissez-faire attitude toward An Jiu. Even when she was slow to understand, he never grew impatient. But after much deliberation, he decided this approach couldn't continue.
He had many responsibilities ahead and wouldn't always be by An Jiu's side. With talented and handsome young men potentially swarming around, there was no guarantee she wouldn't develop feelings for someone. Thus, it seemed prudent to claim her heart first.
This was Chu Dingjiang's first attempt at such matters, but he believed that if conquering a city was effortless, winning a woman's heart should be no challenge—the key lay in careful strategizing.
He hadn't used Protective Energy to shield himself, and by the time they returned to the island, fine snow had frozen into patches on his outer robe.
"Come in and warm up by the fire," An Jiu said.
Chu Dingjiang followed her inside without hesitation.
An Jiu had borrowed a brazier from Sui Yunzhu. Upon entering, she saw Chu Dingjiang had stripped down to just a thin Inner Garment, his sturdy physique clearly outlined.
"Why didn't you use Protective Energy?" An Jiu placed the brazier before him, puzzled.
"It consumes Inner Force," Chu Dingjiang replied without batting an eye.
In truth, for someone of his cultivation level, the energy expenditure was negligible—otherwise, he wouldn't use it so casually. But since An Jiu lacked Inner Force and didn't understand these things, he saw no harm in the white lie.
However, An Jiu wasn't so easily fooled. "Then why do you often use it to block snow and rain?"
Chu Dingjiang pondered for a moment. "Don't you think it looks imposing?"
"..." An Jiu stared at him speechlessly, feeling as though she was seeing him for the first time.
"You should take off your clothes and warm up too," Chu Dingjiang suggested.
An Jiu swiftly stripped down to just a sleeveless undershirt, bare arms swinging freely by the brazier.
Having practiced abstinence for years, Chu Dingjiang had once felt no romantic attachment to An Jiu. Yet even then, a mere glimpse of her body had seared into his mind, nearly making his nose bleed. The current scene was almost unbearable.
Her loose, damp hair clung to her arms, accentuating their jade-like smoothness. Her top tucked into her pants emphasized her slender waist, seemingly narrow enough to encircle with one hand, while the thick fabric of her trousers only highlighted the pert curve of her hips...
Chu Dingjiang felt a certain part of him stir instantly.
Unaware of his reaction, An Jiu deftly untied her trousers, revealing shorts and a pair of long, straight legs—pale as fresh snow. Her twice-Reforged body was like polished jade, flawless skin glowing softly.
Chu Dingjiang, aching with tension, lowered his gaze to avoid looking.
"Hmm, the charcoal's almost burnt out," An Jiu remarked, walking over to poke the embers with fire tongs.
A pair of delicate feet entered Chu Dingjiang's view. Chilled by the cold, her plump toes bore a faint pink hue, while newly healed wounds along the sides—still light red—lent an oddly cruel yet alluring beauty to their cuteness.
He hastily looked up, only to see An Jiu padding barefoot to the wall, bending over to search for something. Her loose shorts gaped with the motion, offering a view of rounded curves.
Chu Dingjiang could feel the throbbing intensity, something primal threatening to erupt.
Based on past experience, he knew exactly what was coming.He grabbed the outer garment hanging by the roadside, but it was already too late.
Damn it!
Looking down at his soaked crotch, he could practically hear the shattering of his masculine dignity scattering across the ground.
"There are still a few pieces left." An Jiu pulled out the charcoal bag from the pile of clutter, but when she turned around, Chu Dingjiang was already gone. (To be continued...)
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