"How many Transformation Realm experts does the Crown Prince have by his side?" An Jiu wondered if there were more hidden Transformation Realm experts in the world, like herself. Although only her mental strength had reached that realm, she still possessed extraordinary lethality. "Also, how much support does the Crown Prince truly have within the Crane Control Army?"
Mei Yanran replied, "From what I know, all four major families of the Crane Control Army support the Crown Prince, including Mei Shi. I'm unaware if there are other hidden Transformation Realm experts by his side, but there are two known ones—the eunuch Feng Shi and Mei Shi's Elder Zhi."
"Elder Zhi." An Jiu had almost forgotten about him. Since he was suspected of being the mysterious assailant who attacked the Crane Control Army and was detained in the palace, he had completely vanished from sight.
Mei Yanran had once mentioned that Elder Zhi lectured at the Zishan Hall, where the imperial princes studied.
"The emperor has more than one son. Couldn’t Elder Zhi possibly support someone else?" An Jiu always thought the Crown Prince was scum, and if he became emperor, he would undoubtedly live up to the phrase "debauched and tyrannical." Since Elder Zhi was reputed to be wise and had close contact with the princes at Zishan Hall, surely he could see that, couldn’t he?
Mei Yanran shook her head. "That’s beyond my guess. You once served as the Crown Prince’s close guard, and I know what you witnessed. But what you saw was only the surface."
While the Crown Prince was indeed extremely lustful, he was even more obsessed with power. Over the years, he had never missed an opportunity to seize any force he could use. After all, once he ascended to the highest position, what kind of woman couldn’t he have? And the benefits power brought him went far beyond that.
An Jiu suddenly remembered something—Chu Dingjiang also had Gu Jinghong’s blood! Back at the border, to prevent the medicine from being seized, it had been divided into three portions: Mo Sigui safeguarded one part, An Jiu took some, and Chu Dingjiang held onto a portion as well. He had once said that the Second Prince still needed experience and wasn’t yet fit to ascend the throne. If that was the case, why hadn’t he used that medicine to prolong the emperor’s life? If the emperor were still alive now, he wouldn’t be in such a passive position.
"I’m leaving." An Jiu abruptly stood and hurried out the door.
Mei Jiu opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Mei Yanran.
An Jiu searched all over the city and noticed that the guards at the northern gate wore different armor from those at the other gates. She crouched nearby to observe.
Aside from their attire, this gate seemed no different from the others, filled with tension and stricter security than usual.
An Jiu used her mental strength to probe carefully and detected many martial arts masters gathered near the watchtower, including one whose Transformation Realm aura she recognized all too well.
Confirming Chu Dingjiang’s presence, she swiftly scaled the city wall and hung upside down from a pillar, tapping on the window.
The window opened, revealing Chu Dingjiang in black robes, his face mostly hidden beneath his hood as he looked up at her. "What brings you here?"
An Jiu didn’t answer, scanning the room instead. Besides seven or eight ninth-order martial masters, a young man in luxurious robes sat in the seat of honor. She guessed this must be the Second Prince—so young!
The Second Prince wasn’t disturbed by the uninvited guest. He calmly studied her for a moment before suddenly speaking. "Since you’re a friend of the master, please come in."
It was unclear whether the words were directed at An Jiu or Chu Dingjiang. Taking them at face value, An Jiu flipped inside.The Second Prince was genuinely surprised when he saw her figure clearly. The person had approached within arm's reach, yet none of the martial arts masters in the building had noticed—another sign of someone in the Transformation Realm. From Chu Dingjiang's tone, the prince discerned this was a friend rather than foe and took the initiative to show goodwill. To his astonishment, the visitor appeared to be a young woman.
"This is His Highness the Second Prince," Chu Dingjiang introduced her.
An Jiu, unsure of proper etiquette, simply clasped her fists casually. "Greetings, Your Highness."
In need of capable allies, the Second Prince treated experts with great courtesy, nodding with a smile. "No need for formalities."
"This is my wife," Chu Dingjiang introduced before requesting, "Would Your Highness permit me a private word with my lady?"
An Jiu froze momentarily but didn't deny the claim.
"By all means," the Second Prince granted.
Chu Dingjiang grasped her hand and led her out, walking along the city wall for about a hundred paces.
"The Second Prince looks like a boy on the surface," An Jiu remarked. She said "on the surface" because during their brief eye contact, his gaze had been steady, devoid of any youthful immaturity.
Chu Dingjiang tapped her forehead. "Why aren't you staying safely in Plum Blossom Village? What brings you here to stir up trouble?"
"Didn't you say we'd fight side by side?" An Jiu brushed his hand away disdainfully. "Is your idea of 'side by side' just showing up when I'm in danger?"
"I said fight together, not necessarily share hardships," Chu Dingjiang replied matter-of-factly. "My woman only needs to share my joys, not my sufferings."
"Are you raising a pet?!" An Jiu glared at him, her voice turning cold. "If you need a pet, sorry—I'm not one."
If this was truly love, she didn't want to miss any important moments in each other's lives.
An Jiu had made up her mind—no more timidity. To change, to live with dignity, she'd start by loving someone freely and unreservedly.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but... I just don't want you taking risks!" Chu Dingjiang sighed.
An Jiu scowled. "I'll face plenty of dangers in the future. One more won't make a difference."
"You still plan to work as an assassin?" Chu Dingjiang sounded surprised—he'd assumed she wanted out of that life.
His tone irked her. "There are good assassins and bad ones. Since killing's my only skill, why not use it for good? Give me back that Bounty Board job. After Bianjing's settled, I'll complete it myself."
How one lives depends not just on circumstances but more on mindset. With shackles in one's heart, even an ocean view wouldn't feel like freedom.
"You're unexpectedly optimistic," Chu Dingjiang chuckled helplessly.
An Jiu brightened immediately. "In all my life, no one's ever described me that way. Since you show some discernment, I'll magnanimously forgive past grievances and help you."
Suppressing his delight, Chu Dingjiang said mildly, "As you wish."
As a man, protecting his woman was natural. Yet they were no ordinary couple. While Chu Dingjiang had entertained thoughts of sharing life and death, there was a difference between An Jiu choosing to face dangers with him and him dragging her into peril. If this was her own decision, how could he not rejoice?"Stop pretending." An Jiu rolled her eyes and mercilessly exposed him. "If you really didn't want me to come, you wouldn't have just sent Sui Yunzhu and Li Qingzhi to stop me. Besides, you never miss a chance to drop hints at me."
If Chu Dingjiang wanted to do something, even if it ultimately failed, he would definitely plan it carefully. How could he just casually give some instructions?
"Haha, our A Jiu is so clever." Chu Dingjiang didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed as he laughed and ruffled her hair. "As for those hints you mentioned, I'm innocent."
"Tch." An Jiu scoffed, looking at him with an "I've seen through you" expression. "You keep talking about sharing life and death, fighting side by side, never missing an opportunity to brainwash me. Don't think I don't know. What kind of brainwashing training haven't I seen? Playing hard to get and all that, hmph." (To be continued...)
PS: Ever since that sleepless night, I haven't been feeling well. The cold came back two days ago, and I've been feeling terrible with a sore neck, constant dizziness, and nausea. I don't know what's wrong. I slept from yesterday afternoon until noon today, completely knocked out. If not for the delivery guy calling, I probably wouldn't have woken up until evening.
Update
The whole area had a power outage all day today. It's unbearably hot in this dog days weather. The power only came back around 10 PM, and I realized I couldn't finish the update in time. Just giving a heads-up—I'll make up for it tomorrow. Sorry. (To be continued...)
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