Chapter Thirty-One
He hung upside down from a horizontal branch, his ink-black hair cascading down like smooth satin. An Jiu caught sight of his jade-white forehead and exquisitely shaped brows and eyes, while the lower half of his face remained concealed behind a black cloth mask.
His narrow, elongated eyes seemed to ripple with amusement, reflecting her image clearly within them.
Seizing the opportunity, An Jiu leaped down from the tree and retreated three zhang away.
When she had struck earlier, her instinct had been to go for a lethal blow as per her usual habit. But she was acutely aware that she was no match for this man. Since he hadn’t shown any hostility, provoking him would only backfire, so she had changed her approach at the last moment—settling for knocking off his mask instead.
An Jiu hadn’t originally been interested in his true appearance, but this man’s brows and eyes were so strikingly handsome that she now genuinely wanted to tear off that mask as well.
The man followed her down from the tree, bending to pick up the mask that had fallen onto the grass. His long hair slid over his shoulders with the motion, yet not a single strand was out of place.
An Jiu thought to herself, Truly, the most natural state is the healthiest.
“As expected of someone Elder Zhi favors—able to learn just by watching.” Standing beneath the shade of the tree, he studied An Jiu carefully, his clear and gentle voice carrying a note of warmth. “I believe we’ll meet again soon.”
The echo of his words lingered, but he had already vanished without a trace.
Even with her exceptional vision, An Jiu only caught a glimpse of a fading shadow disappearing into the bamboo grove.
“That… that was the one we saw in the ancestral hall…” Mei Jiu finally snapped out of her daze.
An Jiu didn’t respond, returning to the tree to pick up the basic martial arts manual she had dropped.
She didn’t know the man’s identity or purpose, but that brief encounter had left her deeply unsettled. His remark about “learning just by watching” confirmed he had been observing her for some time—yet she hadn’t sensed his presence at all! She hadn’t even noticed how he had approached her!
On one hand, it was because she hadn’t fully synchronized with this body yet. On the other, it proved that the martial arts here were far more advanced than anything she had practiced before. Even in her prime, she might not have been a match for that Ghost-Masked Man.
In other words, none of the skills she possessed gave her any advantage here. Even with her extensive experience in killing, she could probably only handle someone like Mei Tingyuan at best. And to make matters worse, she didn’t even have her own body right now!
Considering all this, her current situation was far from optimistic.
The only silver lining was that she had a solid foundation and seemed to have a decent aptitude for these martial arts.
After some reflection, An Jiu’s gaze toward the basic martial arts manual in her hands shifted—she needed to learn. No matter where she was, only by possessing sufficient strength could she have the right to choose her own path forward.
She flipped open the manual and began earnestly mimicking the illustrated stances. But the moment she assumed the first posture, she heard footsteps approaching and immediately halted.
Mei Tingyuan, still enduring her punishment, didn’t dare stop to pick a fight. She merely snorted at the sight of An Jiu before sprinting away.
An Jiu resumed her practice.
Mei Jiu could sense An Jiu’s determination and didn’t try to stop her. After all, she figured it was impossible to achieve any real progress in such a short time, so it didn’t violate her mother’s instructions.
But the outcome far exceeded Mei Jiu’s expectations! By dusk, An Jiu could already execute the entire set of movements fluidly from start to finish.
Mei Jiu didn’t know how well she was performing, but she could feel the strength coursing through her limbs—clearly, it wasn’t just for show. She wasn’t sure what to say about it.
Evening arrived.An Jiu herded the sheep back into the pen and then relinquished control of the body to Mei Jiu.
"Fourteen Lady," Lu Qingming stood outside the sheepfold.
Mei Jiu bowed, "Master."
"Have you gained any insights?" Lu Qingming asked.
While An Jiu had been reading, Mei Jiu couldn't help but see the content as well. The movements were quite simple, and her memory was excellent—even now, she could mimic them roughly if asked. But she knew in her heart it wasn't the same. She had used this body for over a decade, yet she had never been able to summon the same force An Jiu displayed when practicing Martial Arts.
"I can mimic a few moves, but I haven't gained any real insights," Mei Jiu answered truthfully.
Given the short time, this was understandable. Lu Qingming nodded, "Very well, show me what you can do."
With only Lu Qingming present, Mei Jiu gritted her teeth and decided to throw caution to the wind.
Lu Qingming was pleased with Mei Jiu's attitude. He understood Mei Yanran's intentions well—Mei Jiu had been raised as an ordinary gentlewoman, and though she wasn't as rigidly bound by traditional virtues as other young ladies, she was still a refined and elegant girl.
For her to let go of such deeply ingrained habits was no small feat.
With this thought, Lu Qingming nodded to her, signaling her to begin.
Mei Jiu recalled the movements she had seen earlier—stepping forward, raising her arms, turning, punching...
The setting sun cast its glow, outlining the girl's graceful figure. Her every movement was like a crane dancing, breathtakingly beautiful.
Lu Qingming's eyes widened in shock, his aged face growing increasingly contorted as he watched.
This was truly an eye-opener!
In all his years, he had never seen anyone turn a robust Martial Arts routine into a soft, boneless dance!
It was practically sacrilege to the art!
"Stop!" Lu Qingming roared.
Mei Jiu stumbled in fright, hastily halting her movements and glancing at him nervously.
Seeing her look like a startled rabbit only deepened Lu Qingming's displeasure. He took several deep breaths to steady himself, then spoke as calmly as possible, "Your memory is good, and it looks quite pretty. But you must understand—Martial Arts are meant for fighting! What you're doing wouldn't even qualify as a light scratch!"
"Yes, I understand," Mei Jiu replied, her eyes reddening.
Lu Qingming sighed helplessly. "Go back and think carefully about what I've said. I'll teach you again tomorrow."
"Yes," Mei Jiu bowed and took her leave.
Watching Mei Jiu walk away with the delicate sway of a willow branch, Lu Qingming sighed again. The fact that she could mimic the entire routine in less than two hours showed she had an excellent memory. But he would much rather see her throw a single punch with real force, even if it was just one or two moves.
"A sin, a sin—I've let anger get the better of me again today," Lu Qingming decided to go back and copy scriptures to calm himself.
When Mei Jiu reached the mountain path, Mei Ru Yan was already waiting there.
From a distance, Mei Jiu noticed the bruise near Mei Ru Yan's eye and the blood on her hands. She quickened her pace. "What happened to you?"
"Sister," Mei Ru Yan's voice was weary as she raised her hand, her smile as composed as ever. "I hurt myself practicing the qin."
Mei Ru Yan had long, beautiful hands—pale as jade, slender yet not bony, like the delicate fingers of a Buddha holding a flower. But now, the tips of her fingers were covered in bloody blisters, a shocking sight.Those blisters weren't from accidental cuts but from excessive practice. Mei Jiu looked at her with heartache, "What about your face? Mister Mo looks like an immortal—would he really hit someone?"
"Him?" Mei Ru Yan's expression turned peculiar at the mention of Mister Mo. "He wouldn't deign to move those noble hands of his! All he needs to do is wag his tongue to torment me—why would he need to lift a finger?"
"Why not just change teachers then? Mr. Qingming is very kind. You could speak to Zhao Shanchang, and we could keep each other company from now on," Mei Jiu suggested.
Mei Ru Yan fell silent, turning her face away as she murmured, "He's just... his arrogant nature is infuriating, but he's not truly terrible. It's just that I know so little."
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