Though An Jiu was being stubborn this time, there was clearly a hint of guilt in her defiance.
Chu Dingjiang didn’t call her out on it, merely smiling as he reached out to pull her into his embrace.
The warm glow of an oil lamp cast a hazy light in the room, creating an especially intimate atmosphere…
The next day.
Before dawn had even broken, Chu Dingjiang rose from bed.
An Jiu lay curled under the blankets, one bare arm draped over the edge of the bed. Hearing the movement, she cracked her eyes open slightly.
In the dimness, Chu Dingjiang bent down and tucked her arm back under the covers.
Freshly awakened, his voice was slightly hoarse, his eyes carrying a faint trace of amusement. "Awake?"
Chu Dingjiang had always been gentle around An Jiu, but this was the first time she had truly, viscerally felt his tenderness.
It was utterly intoxicating.
"I’m leaving," Chu Dingjiang said.
An Jiu suddenly grabbed his fingers.
Chu Dingjiang paused, his gaze questioning, before turning his hand to clasp hers in return.
They held each other quietly for a moment before simultaneously letting go. Chu Dingjiang leaned down to press a light kiss to her cheek, then turned and left.
The door opened and closed, a gust of cold air rushing in and dispelling the last remnants of An Jiu’s drowsiness.
She sat up, hugging the blankets, and suddenly felt the room was unbearably empty and silent.
With Chu Dingjiang’s level of cultivation, his presence was naturally subtler than an ordinary person’s when he wasn’t deliberately exuding killing intent. When he sat in the room reading or playing chess by himself, their interactions weren’t particularly frequent.
Before this, An Jiu had thought his presence or absence made little difference—but she hadn’t realized the contrast would be so stark.
It had taken her twenty years to grow accustomed to solitude, yet Chu Dingjiang had shattered that habit in just ten days.
An Jiu lay motionless atop the blankets, though her heart was already in turmoil—hope and fear tangled together. Amidst this intense inner struggle, she seemed to glimpse a faint sliver of light.
It was hope.
An Jiu felt she understood her mother just a little better now—why she had tolerated such cruelty from her father time and again. Yet the more she understood, the more terrified she became. She feared falling into a man’s web like her mother had, feared becoming just another sacrifice like her.
As dawn’s first light crept over the island, an eerie singing voice rose from somewhere nearby.
Sui Yunzhu couldn’t help the chill that ran down his spine—that voice was all too familiar. It was Mei Shisi!
"Come with me, quick!" Sui Yunzhu pounded on Li Qingzhi’s door. "Something might happen!"
"Mei Shisi?" Li Qingzhi yawned, unbothered. "What trouble could she possibly get into on this island?"
Back at the border, An Jiu had once lost control. At the time, Li Qingzhi had been recovering from injuries and hadn’t personally witnessed the horrifying "disaster" that ensued—but Sui Yunzhu had experienced it firsthand.
"I’m not worried about her getting hurt. I’m worried she’ll tear the island apart!" Sui Yunzhu tossed the words over his shoulder as he hurried ahead.
An Jiu’s voice was coming from the woods near Lou Xiaowu’s residence. If she was just there to chop trees, that would be one thing—but if she got her hands on any of Xiao Wu’s bizarre inventions, a single misstep could genuinely sink the entire island.
Seeing Sui Yunzhu’s genuine urgency, Li Qingzhi didn’t even bother putting on his coat, striding after him in long steps.
By the time Sui Yunzhu reached the woods, An Jiu was still howling like a ghost or wolf—but before he could locate her, the sound abruptly cut off.
His heart sank. She was deliberately hiding from them! None of them had Chu Dingjiang’s ability to track her using mental strength.
"Couldn’t find her?" Li Qingzhi caught up.
Sui Yunzhu nodded. "She’s nearby—she’s avoiding us."Li Qingzhi knew that An Jiu might have some mental issues, so he suggested, "Should I call the others to help search?"
"That would be good," Sui Yunzhu added. "First, let two people go watch over Miss Lou—"
"Aowwwooo!" Lou Xiaowu suddenly howled.
"I'll go check," Li Qingzhi said, activating his qinggong and swiftly rushing over.
Hearing Lou Xiaowu's blood-curdling screams, Zhu Pianxian didn't even have time to powder her face before hurrying over.
"Xiao Wu!" Zhu Pianxian had barely stepped through the door when Lou Xiaowu crashed into her arms. "What happened?"
Lou Xiaowu took a few steps back, holding a gun and grinning ecstatically. "This gun's been modified! The friction is way less, bullet speed increased, but the barrel didn't explode! It must've been Shi Si's work—she's a genius, hahaha!"
With that, she dashed out the door, sprinting toward An Jiu's Qingfeng Ningle Residence.
Without Chu Dingjiang—their Stabilizing Needle—the island had descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, the lake beyond the island remained eerily calm, its surface nearly ripple-free.
A lean man boarded a small boat with two enormous tigers in tow.
The vessel was so small that the two tigers nearly sank it with their bulk, yet the boat glided effortlessly across the water.
The man stood at the bow, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at a mist-shrouded area of the lake. "Tsk tsk, the Dream Blossoms have grown splendidly—just as expected from my own planting."
Soon, the trio—one man and two tigers—reached the dock.
Mo Sigui straightened his robes, admiring his reflection on the water's surface with quiet pride. Flicking open a folding fan, he strolled leisurely toward his long-absent residence, happily imagining An Jiu and the others' delighted expressions upon seeing him.
Upon arrival, he was stunned to find the courtyard completely empty.
After circling the area, Mo Sigui muttered, "At least the firewood's been recently chopped." (To be continued...)
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