If it weren't for the Emperor's death, the Dark Capital Yu Hou wouldn't have considered that possibility. When Chu Dingjiang spoke of it, he was already eighty percent convinced.
Upon hearing this news, the crowd felt both joy and worry. They were glad they weren't in the palace and had learned of it early, giving them a chance to escape. Yet they also feared the special scent in their blood that made them easily traceable. If the new emperor ascended and decided to hunt down rebels, how confident were they of surviving the pursuit?
Chu Dingjiang had come prepared. He untied a fist-sized pouch from his waist. "This Medicine can mask the scent in your blood, sparing you from imperial pursuit. Fellow outcasts of the world, why make things harder for each other?"
"Does it work?" The Dark Capital Yu Hou was tempted.
"To be honest, I brought a group from the Crane Control Army. If this issue wasn't resolved, why would they agree to rebel?" Chu Dingjiang waved the pouch before tossing it to the Dark Capital Yu Hou. "Please distribute it, sir."
The Dark Capital Yu Hou handed it to a black-clad man beside him. The man opened the pouch, took out a pill, and sniffed it lightly before nodding to the Yu Hou.
As the third-in-command of the Crane Control Army, the Dark Capital Yu Hou's status was worlds apart from that of the Dark Capital Commander and Vice Commander. His duties were grueling, often requiring him to personally handle critical missions—like this one...
Despite amassing great wealth, he had no time to spend it. Nearing forty, he remained alone. He'd had affairs with a few female assassins in the Crane Control Army, but pregnancy was forbidden. Once, a child had been forcibly aborted. With no heir, his best outcome was to turn to ashes, his spirit hung from the Crane Control Army's eaves—or face endless slaughter in this eternal night.
With this Medicine, whether the Emperor was dead or not mattered little. After a brief internal debate, the Dark Capital Yu Hou made his decision. "Let's go!"
Some hesitated, but even the Yu Hou was retreating. The power disparity was too great—securing the miraculous Medicine was impossible. Better take what was certain! The wise adapt to circumstances, and after a brief struggle, they swiftly followed.
While Chu Dingjiang negotiated, An Jiu never let her guard down. It took immense effort to steady her emotions.
Seeing the danger pass, she relaxed slightly, planting her twin swords into the ground to support herself as she exhaled. "Is the Emperor really dead?"
"No." Chu Dingjiang reached out to steady her.
An Jiu grinned. "I thought so."
The Dark Capital Yu Hou believed it because, first, Chu Dingjiang had rebelled; second, the scent-masking Medicine was real; and third, even if the Emperor wasn't dead yet, his days were numbered. Escaping in the chaos was the best strategy! To ignore such a clear path would be inviting divine retribution.
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
Chu Dingjiang preferred conserving energy—unlike An Jiu, who relished cutting people down.
The two sat on protruding tree roots to rest. An Jiu leaned back, closing her eyes against his arm. "Chu Dingjiang, with the Emperor near death, the Song Dynasty must be in chaos. Isn’t the Second Prince busy?"
Chu hesitated briefly. "Not busy."
Not because he wasn’t busy—but because the moment was critical!Since ancient times, the victors become kings while the losers become outcasts. For the Second Prince, advancing one step would lead him to the pinnacle, while retreating one step would plunge him into an abyss. After struggling internally for hours, Chu Dingjiang ultimately chose to hedge his bets—whether the Second Prince could smoothly inherit the throne would be left to fate. As for An Jiu, he had come personally and was determined to ensure her safety.
"I still arrived too late." Chu Dingjiang's warm hand covered her eyes, roughly guessing that her mental strength had just suffered a heavy blow.
"Not too early, not too late." An Jiu nestled deeper into his embrace, a faint smile curling at her lips. "You always descend from the heavens just when I feel overwhelmed. If this keeps up, my adaptability will only get worse."
"Then let me handle the adaptations." Chu Dingjiang lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "I rarely make promises, but since I’ve vowed to protect you, I’ll spare no effort. Even if one day my strength falls short, at the very least, we can fight side by side."
"You should go back." An Jiu opened her eyes and tilted her head up to kiss him.
Neither of them sought to deepen the kiss, yet their souls felt intertwined in that moment, drawing warmth from each other amidst the blood and corpses.
When the long, gentle kiss ended, Chu Dingjiang lifted her into his arms. "Wait a moment. The Crane Control Army just retreated—I don’t feel at ease."
An Jiu didn’t respond, her eyes closed as if she had fallen asleep.
Using his mental strength to locate the others on the island, Chu Dingjiang carried An Jiu toward them.
Ling Ziyue had already finished regulating his breathing and was guarding the others who were still in meditation. Suddenly noticing a black-robed man in the room, his body tensed, nearly drawing his sword—until he caught sight of An Jiu and relaxed his guard. "Is she alright?"
Chu Dingjiang laid An Jiu on the bed, found the medicine bottle on her, and fed her a pill. "She’s fine. She just needs some rest."
Ling Ziyue felt a pang of shame as he looked at An Jiu, covered in blood. Here they were, a group of men, yet it was a woman who had taken the lead in battle.
"Don’t dwell on it, Ling Jiangjun." Chu Dingjiang turned and, seeing Ling Ziyue’s expression, roughly guessed his thoughts. "A Jiu was the one who provoked over a hundred Crane Control soldiers. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been injured like this..."
"It was an accident," An Jiu suddenly interrupted.
Chu Dingjiang frowned, his anger flaring. "If I hadn’t come, it would have been a fatal accident."
An Jiu gave an almost imperceptible pout. "Under normal circumstances, I would have taken down over a hundred men single-handedly. Your appearance just disrupted the plan."
"Whose plan?" Chu Dingjiang was so furious he wanted to drag her off the bed and give her a beating. "Did this plan of yours account for the consequences?"
"Of course it did!" An Jiu retorted defiantly, opening one eye to glare at him. "Even mutual destruction would have been a profitable trade."
Dying while taking down over a hundred men as collateral—that was indeed a good deal, in An Jiu’s honest opinion.
"So you’d just die cleanly, leaving me with no one to take revenge on? Did you ever consider how I’d feel?" Chu Dingjiang was truly enraged now. He had even placed his ideals beneath her, rushing over in the nick of time to save her—and this was how she repaid him?
An Jiu thought carefully and seriously, then, seeing his fury, cautiously replied, "I might not have killed all of them. There would definitely be survivors..."
So you wouldn’t have to worry about finding someone to take revenge on!Chu Dingjiang immediately deflated, knowing full well that if she didn't want to understand, no amount of talking would make a difference. "You've thought it through carefully, get some rest now!"
An Jiu closed her eyes contentedly.
Though she had spoken those words this time, deep down she clearly understood Chu Dingjiang's feelings and treasured them in her heart. She was gradually coming to comprehend her mother's state of mind back then. When her father used her for experiments, she endured it time and again without resistance—not out of cowardice, but because there was some willingness in her heart.
Love makes people blind. (To be continued...)
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