In the darkness before dawn.
A slender figure slipped into an alley on Panlou Street and snapped her fingers twice.
"Did you bring it?" A deep male voice emerged from the shadows.
"This subordinate has failed," replied a woman's voice.
"What? After staying there for so long, you couldn’t even get a single imperial memorial?" The man’s tone carried displeasure, though he didn’t lash out at her. "With your skills, how could you fail?"
The woman answered, "Hua Rongjian isn’t as much of a fool as the rumors say. He kept me confined in the residence. Even tonight, I barely managed to find an opportunity to escape."
She lifted her head, and the faint light illuminated half of her face, revealing slightly upturned phoenix eyes and red lips—it was Mei Ru Yan.
The man fell silent for a few breaths before continuing, "Once this is done, find a way to leave the Hua residence. The higher-ups will soon move against the Hua family. I’m just giving you a heads-up."
"Understood." Mei Ru Yan’s expression flickered with complexity, but it returned to normal in an instant. "I’ll act as quickly as possible."
"Hmm." The man acknowledged.
In the blink of an eye, only the sound of wind and Mei Ru Yan remained in the alley.
She stood motionless with her back to the alley entrance for a long time, memories and chaotic thoughts flooding her mind. Sometimes, she questioned whether she had chosen the right path—was it leading to a bright future or a road of no return? No one could know until the very end...
With a sigh, Mei Ru Yan vanished like a ghost into the alley, the mist flowers dissipating into the air.
Dawn broke.
Plum Blossom Village welcomed a new day, with everyone busy with their own tasks. Ling Ziyue and Lou Xiaowu were studying handguns and Thunderclap bombs, Mei Yanran was preparing meals, Sui Yunzhu had cultivated six acres of land, Li Qingzhi was immersed in military strategy, Mo Sigui had locked himself in his room to concoct an antidote, Zhu Pianxian’s abacus clattered away, and Sheng Changying crouched at the dock, intently preparing to intercept the Crane Control Institute’s messenger pigeons...
Only An Jiu felt that the days stretched endlessly, leaving her bored out of her mind.
In the medicine room, steam billowed from the medicine pot on the stove, filling the space with a strong herbal scent. Mo Sigui squatted in front of a mortar, grinding herbs.
After finishing her training, An Jiu sat in Mo Sigui’s room, polishing the Dragon Subduing Bow over and over.
"Ugh." An Jiu sighed.
She had always dreamed of a peaceful and leisurely life, but now that she had it, it felt too bland. She and Chu Dingjiang were truly the same kind of people—unable to endure days as calm as still water...
Huh? She was thinking about him again!
An Jiu held her forehead for a long moment before asking Mo Sigui, "I’ve got lovesickness. Do you have any medicine for that?"
Without looking up, Mo Sigui replied, "If I had that kind of medicine, do you think I’d be in this state?"
An Jiu pointed out flatly, "So you finally admit your insomnia is because of Lou Mingyue."
"Mm." Mo Sigui had been deep in thought, repeatedly pondering a medical formula, but her words abruptly severed his train of thought.
His face went blank, remaining that way for a long while before he slowly furrowed his brows. Then, in a flash, he sprang up, grabbed An Jiu, and irritably said, "Get out, get out now."
An Jiu was dragged and shoved out the door.
Staring at the closed door, she fell silent. Now she was truly bored!
She wandered around aimlessly, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Chu Dingjiang!
Watching Mei Yanran cook, she thought Chu Dingjiang’s food was better. Seeing Sui Yunzhu farming, she wondered what Chu Dingjiang would look like doing the same. Watching Li Qingzhi study military strategy, she thought Chu Dingjiang was the real expert...This state continued until the third day. Just as An Jiu was torn between enduring it or going to find Chu Dingjiang, he actually returned.
At the time, An Jiu was at the ferry with Da Jiu and Xiao Yue, watching Sheng Changying intercept messenger pigeons. She sat motionless on a bare tree branch, staring intently at the sky.
Da Jiu was even more focused than her, mouth agape as he occasionally drooled, while Xiao Yue lay half-dozing on the ground with an air of worldly detachment.
Only when the sound of water came from the ferry did An Jiu shift her gaze.
Through the mist, a familiar tall figure gradually became clear. He still wore his black mantle, covering most of his face except for the stubble on his chin.
In that moment, An Jiu felt as if everything had stopped.
Chu Dingjiang saw the woman in pale green winter robes perched on the tree. When she looked up at the sky, she resembled a bird resting on a withered branch. When her gaze turned toward him, her clear, bottomless eyes seemed capable of reflecting his very image.
Chu Dingjiang walked to the base of the tree, pushing back his hood as he looked up with a smile at the person he'd longed for day and night. "A Jiu."
Grinning, An Jiu leaped directly from the twenty-foot-high branch.
Chu Dingjiang reached out and caught her steadily.
"What were you watching?" Chu Dingjiang asked.
"Watching Sheng Zhangku catch birds." An Jiu looked up at him. "Did you come back for something?"
Chu Dingjiang nodded. "Yes, something very important that couldn't be postponed."
An Jiu ran through numerous possibilities in her mind—perhaps he needed Lou Xiaowu's Thunderclap bombs? Or maybe to recruit some strong men to serve the Second Prince? Both seemed possible, yet neither quite fit...
"What is it?" she asked directly.
Chu Dingjiang smiled. "To see you."
An Jiu froze, her train of thought broken. It took her a long moment to respond. "Could it be... you thought of me too?" (To be continued...)
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